A new adaptation of Hard Times is coming to Lancaster, just a few miles from the city which inspired Charles Dickens’s Northern novel.
Northern Broadsides returns to The Dukes from February 27 to March 3 with its latest production. Coketown, the focus of Hard Times, was based partly on nearby Preston.
Thomas Gradgrind will not permit fanciful thoughts in his school or his home but what effect will this policy have on his own children? How can he protect them from corrupting influences—especially when the circus comes to town?
Among the cast is Victoria Brazier who appeared as Captain Molly in The Dukes outdoor production of Treasure Island last year.
Hard Times has been adapted by Deborah McAndrew whose past plays include An August Bank Holiday Lark which won the 2014 Best New Play award at both the UK Theatre Awards and the Manchester Theatre Awards.